By TwoCircles.net Staff Reporter,
Bangalore: The Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) has decided to contest 42 parliamentary seats scattered through the length and breadth of the country in the ensuing 2014 Lok Sabha elections.
The decision to this effect was taken at the party’s Central Secretariat Parliamentary Board meeting held at Bangalore on February 15, 2014. The decision was endorsed by the National Working Committee, (NWC), at its meeting held the next day on February 16 also held at Bangalore. The meeting was presided over by the SDPI national president A. Sayeed.
SDPI national president A. Sayeed talking to electronic channel after the NWC meeting in Bangalore.
The SDPI will be contesting Lok Sabha elections in nine states namely Tamil Nadu (five seats), Karnataka (four seats), Kerala (20 seats), West Bengal (five seats), Andhra Pradesh, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh (two seats each), Madhya Pradesh and Delhi (one seat each).
According to Afsar Pasha, SDPI national general secretary, the 42 constituencies that the SDPI has selected to contest the Lok Sabha elections are: Tamil Nadu: – 1. Pollachi (Coimbatore), 2. Chennai North, 3. Ramnadu, 4. Velloor & 5. Nellai; Karnataka:- 1. Mangalore, 2. Bangalore, 3. Udupi-Chikmangalore & 4. Mysore; Kerala:- 1. Kasargod, 2. Kannur, 3. Vadagara, 4. Kozhikode, 5. Wayanad, 6. Malappuram, 7. Ponnani, 8. Palakkad, 9. Alattur 10. Trishur, 11. Chalakkudi 12. Ernakulam, 13. Idukki 14. Kottayam, 15. Alappuuzzha, 16. Mavelikkara, 17. Pattanamthitta, 18. Kollam, 19. Attingal & 20. Trivandrum; West Bengal:- 1. Jangipur, 2. Murshidabad, 3. Berhampur, 4. Diamond Harbour & 5. Malda (South); Andhra Pradesh:- 1. Kurnool and 2. Nellore; Bihar:- 1. Kathihar and Purnia; Uttar Pradesh:- 1. Maharaj Ganj and 2. Khairan; Madhya Pradesh:- 1. Bhopal and Delhi:- 1. North East. Apart from this the SDPI shall contest also two Assembly seats in Andhra Pradesh namely Kurnool and Nandyal.
The observers of the party for the Lok Sabha elections in the various states will be: 1. Tamil Nadu-Abdhu Shaafi; 2. Karnataka-Hafiz Manzoor Ali Khan; 3. Kerala-Adv. K P Shareef; 4. West Bengal-M K Faizy; 5. Andhra Pradesh-Mohammed Saqib; 6. Bihar-Afsar Pasha; 7. Uttar Pradesh-Noushad P. P; 8. Madhya Pradesh-Mohammed Shafi (Rajasthan) and 9. Delhi-Adv. Sharfuddin Ahmad. The NWC decided tentatively to release the party’s election manifesto next month on March 6 at a function in New Delhi.
Meanwhile, the SDPI’s slogan for the ensuing elections will be “Hunger Free India; Fear Free India”, Pasha revealed.
The resolutions passed during the NWC meeting were as follows:-
1) The SDPI condemns the so-called secular parties of India who in clandestine understanding with the BJP blocked the introduction of “Prevention of Communal and Targeted Violence (Access to Justice and Regulations) Bill 2011”, which in short is known as Communal Violence Bill 2011, in Parliament. The Congress-led UPA Government at the Centre has been playing hide and seek with the Bill and the collusion of the Opposition parties came as handy reason to the government to absolve itself from the charge of getting it passed in Parliament. The SDPI demands that the UPA Government should call special session of Parliament to get the Bill passed without any delay so that the ferocity of the communal violence could be checked forthwith and innocent lives saved.
2) That the SC/ST have been mischievously denied the full rights under the reservation policy as only 7 percent of the quota out of 18 percent is filled up till now in government jobs. The SDPI demands the filling up of full quota of 18 percent by holding a special drive of recruitment.
3) The members of the Sikh community were allotted vacant land in Kutch area of Gujarat on the national border. By the dint of their hard labour the Sikh farmers made it arable and fertile. However, now BJP-ruled Narendra Modi Government is trying to get the Sikh farmers evicted from their farm lands. The SDPI demands intervention from the Central Government to protect the rights of the Sikh farmers.
4) Muzaffarnagar riot victims in Uttar Pradesh have been left in the lurch without proper justice and the UP as well as the Central Governments have been apathetic to their cause. The SDPI demands that a Rehabilitation Commission must be appointed by the Central Government to assess and remove all the grievances of the riot victims. The SDPI also demands that special Identity Card and Voter card must be made of the riot victims so that they could use their franchise even after displacement.
5) The Pradhan Committee report on 26/11 Mumbai attack must be tabled in Maharashtra Assembly so that the public may know the facts about the case. Even if the report is not tabled in the Assembly still then the facts can be made public, the resolution added.
6) The SDPI demands that on the disclosure of Aseemanand in the Caravan magazine interview a judicial or CBI inquiry must be appointed by the Central Government in view of bomb blasts in several states.
7) That the SDPI’s NWC calls upon the Central Government to facilitate online voting right to NRIs (Non- Resident Indians). The Central Government shall bear in mind that the major chunk of their emoluments are in a way supporting the Indian economy. Hence it is a high time to formulate law and procedure to render them opportunity to vote online.